A BACKLOG of Fatal Accident Inquiries is forcing loved ones to wait more than four years for answers, we can reveal.
It is claimed that Scottish Government figures show the death probe system is “not fit for purpose”.
They reveal that more than 200 probes into unexpected fatalities have been ordered but are yet to start.
Other official stats also show that around only 50 a year are completed.
Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: “This is a huge number of FAIs that are yet to begin.
“It’s clear that the current system isn’t fit for purpose.
“Under this SNP Government, backlogs and lengthy waits have become the norm.
“Families are waiting far too long for much-needed answers about their loved ones and lessons for the future aren’t being learned.”
The backlog could worsen as over 6,000 Covid-related deaths in care homes, hospitals and at work are sitting with the Crown Office.
No decisions have been made on a single one of those, and the Crown has said it cannot comment on timescales.
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FAIs are held to find out why someone has died suddenly or unexpectedly.
Legally, they also have to take place if someone dies in prison or at work.
Sheriffs then issue recommendations on whether the death could have been avoided, and what should change to stop a situation being repeated.
High-profile FAIs this year include the M9 deaths of Lamara Bell, 25, and John Yuill, 28, in 2015 as well as the probe into the deaths of William Brown, 16, and Katie Allan, 21, in Polmont Young Offenders Institution in 2018.
SCOTTISH SUN ON SUNDAY SAYS
IF you are a family that has lost a loved one who has died unexpectedly, leaving you short of answers, it is a truly awful time.
Family members will be searching for an explanation and be at their wit’s end when they are left without one.
Fatal accident inquiries are supposed to establish what happened in these cases and to help provide some sort of closure to those impacted by such heartbreaking events.
But, as we reveal today, as many as 219 FAIs that have been ordered are yet to start, while others could yet take several years to go through the courts.
This will prolong the agony for bereaved families.
Scotland’s Solicitor General, Ruth Charteris KC, has apologised to those who have “waited too long”.
But, with more than 6,000 Covid-related deaths in care homes, hospitals and at work still sitting with the Crown Office, that backlog seems likely to only get worse.
Concerns have been raised by politicians from across the political divide, who claim the system is “ineffective”.
And today, the Scottish Lib Dems go as far as to say it “isn’t fit for purpose” and that lengthy waits have become the norm under the SNP at Holyrood.
The Crown Office claims it recognises the impact of these delays on families.
But, if it is aware of how difficult it is for these families to have to face such lengthy waits to get answers, then it must now do something to address that.
It says it has “significantly reformed” its processes in recent years in order to cut the time taken to investigate deaths and bring inquiries to court.
However, clearly, with the prospect of a heavy caseload coming their way in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, that may not be enough.
Time is of the essence and the Crown Office must now act quickly to make sure that families can get the answers they need as efficiently as possible.
Figures show 219 FAIs have been ordered but not started, and with only around 50 probes being concluded each year, families and friends of people who have died could be waiting years for answers.
The Crown Office is also under pressure to provide answers for relatives of 6,015 people whose deaths are being investigated in connection with Covid.
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This includes hundreds of care home and hospital deaths — as prosecutors work with police, the NHS, employees and care homes to “collate a large amount of information”.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said it “recognises the impact that the delay in holding an FAI can have on bereaved families”.
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He added: We are committed to working in partnership with all agencies involved in death investigation to reduce the length of time it takes to initiate and conclude FAIs.
“COPFS has reformed its processes in recent years to reduce the time taken to investigate deaths and bring FAIs to court.”
